Love Story
by RBTL
Summary: You were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said, 'Stay away from Juliet.'" James/Scorpius, one-shot


Fic was written for Brixisxonfire's bday! Inspired by Taylor Swift's "Love Story". The words in italics are from that song. I do not own them!

* * *

_We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes and the flashback starts: I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air. See the lights; see the party, the ball gowns._

See you make your way through the crowd and say hello; little did I know that you were Romeo; you were throwing pebbles, and my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet.

And I was crying on the staircase, begging you, "Please, don't go." And I said, "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess it's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"

* * *

Scorpius stood on the balcony above the ballroom in his mansion. Traditionally a place for lovers to have some privacy, Scorpius was alone. He had tried to escape from his party, and he was glad he had left when he had. The flocks of young women in the ballroom were all glancing about sharply, as if they were huntsmen on the trail of a fox.

Scorpius hated that hunted feeling. When his father had mentioned that he wanted to hold a party for Scorpius's seventeenth birthday and coming-of-age, Scorpius had agreed, imagining a small group of his father's friends and some of Scorpius's classmates. Instead, Scorpius found that half of the wizarding world had been invited to ogle him.

All right, maybe he was being a bit over dramatic, but it certainly felt like the ballroom was full of every person Scorpius had ever met, as well as some he had never seen before. He knew for certain that his father had invited every person in his year at Hogwarts and those from the years above and below him. The traditional purpose for a wizarding coming-of-age ball was to introduce the birthday child to the members of society that he would confront as he moved into his position as an adult. It had also been a way for the young members of society to meet each other and begin to form connections amongst themselves and to evaluate marriage partners.

It had lost the marriage connotation, for the most part, but Scorpius knew his father was still expecting him to meet many members of wizarding society. He didn't care though. Scorpius had never appreciated being thrust into the spotlight, and he hated meeting new people. Especially when those new people included many young women, who had evidently not realized that marriage was no longer part of the purpose for the ball.

Scorpius was starting to fume as he watched the wizards and witches twirl on the ballroom floor when someone else stepped out onto the balcony. A subtle throat clearing behind him alerted him to the other person's presence. Scorpius spun around to see James Potter smiling at him.

"Happy birthday, Malfoy," he said.

Scorpius nodded at him graciously. "Thank you." Figuring their conversation was over, Scorpius turned back to the ballroom. Robes swirled gracefully. The men's robes were shorter and flew out farther from their bodies, whipping around as they waltzed across the floor. The women's robes floated softly around them, falling in gentle drapes to the floor and moving only slightly as their feet danced nimbly.

The juxtaposition of the robes' movement reminded Scorpius of exactly why he hated being around young women looking for husbands. The truth was, he would never be able to marry a woman. Well, he would be able to marry one, but he wouldn't like it. Scorpius wasn't attracted to the soft and quiet women with their silky hands and small feet.

Scorpius enjoyed watching the men dance. He loved the power behind their twirls, the way their muscles rippled as they dipped and spun their dance partners. The way that their robes moved and snapped reminded him of Quidditch players with their flapping robes and powerful motions. He wanted to feel a man touch him like that, with utter strength. It was only in his dreams that Scorpius dared to admit that though.

James cleared his throat again, but Scorpius didn't bother to turn and look at him. Scorpius didn't know any of the Potters well, but he knew that James had been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a Prefect, though Scorpius wasn't sure why. He thought that James's stupid pranks would have been enough to keep him from becoming one. Still, the boy must have had something going for him.

James stepped up next to him, and Scorpius glanced at him. "What do you want, Potter?" he asked irritably.

When James shot him a grin, Scorpius wanted to snort. What kind of idiot smiles at people when they obviously aren't interested in them?

"I was just wondering what you were doing up here. Your father is looking for you, you know."

Scorpius did snort them. "Father knows exactly where I am. I've seen him look up here more than once. I'm sure he's told everyone that he's looking for me though. He's all about keeping up appearances."

James quirked his head to the side. "What kind of an appearance is he trying to keep up?"

"He wants people to think I'm simply defiant instead of... shy, is the best word I suppose."

Scorpius scowled at James when laughter threatened to bubble out of the man's lips. "Shut up," Scorpius muttered and looked back at the crowd. He watched a man below gracefully spin his partner around, pulling her close and then backing off. The girl looked to be laughing her head off at something he'd said. They were both young, around Scorpius's own age, but they were two of the best dancers in the room.

James must have followed his glance because he remarked upon the couple aloud. "Lily and Albus are something, aren't they?"

Scorpius was startled to realize it was indeed the two Potters captivating the room. "How did they get so good at dancing?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"All three of us were required to take dancing lessons for years when we were young, something about Dad wanting us to understand wizarding traditions. They always really enjoyed them, mostly because they got to dance with each other." James sighed lightly. "I was always stuck with a random girl who happened to be taking lessons at the same time. I didn't like dancing with strangers. I used to hate that I was so much taller than my siblings because our teacher always paired people up by height."

Scorpius smirked. "I imagine you were rather hard to match."

James flushed lightly, his cheeks glowing. "I wish I weren't so tall. I've never met a girl my height. I've never danced with anyone near my height."

Eyeing him, Scorpius decided that James Potter was far above average height. It was rather surprising because the rest of the Potters were quite short, but Scorpius thought it suited him. He was powerful and well muscled, the ideal beater even though his height made him a bigger target. Scorpius would never admit it, but he had always considered James physically attractive—the man's penchant for jokes made him otherwise repulsive—mostly because of his height. Scorpius adored the feeling of being smaller than someone else. In his dreams, he had always imagined himself ending up with someone larger than him. Still, he was quite a bit taller than average himself, his forehead coming to James's eyes, and it was hard for him to find anyone his own height, let alone taller.

Thinking about James like this was beginning to make him feel things that he shouldn't be feeling. Scorpius shook off the thoughts and focused on the dancers below.

"I'd love to dance with someone your height," James said quietly, unexpectedly, and Scorpius started. His thoughts immediately turned back to their previous direction. When he looked at James, he found the man's dark hazel eyes boring into him.

Scorpius swallowed hard, his breath stuttering in his chest. "I, um, there should be a girl down there who's my height, somewhere..." His voice trailed off as James's hand came up.

He held his hand between him, offering it to Scorpius. "I don't want to dance with a girl."

Scorpius's heart was beating madly, and he knew he was insane when he placed his hand in James's and it felt right.

James pulled him close and placed his other hand on Scorpius's hip. Scorpius shivered when he felt the powerful hands grip him. He settled his own hand on James's shoulder just as a new song started up. He moved to begin the dance just as James pulled them in the opposite direction. They stumbled against each other.

"Relax. Let me lead," James murmured in Scorpius's ear, his breath warm on Scorpius's cheek. Scorpius nodded dumbly. James began to twirl them around gently, directing them in one direction and then turning to another as the music changed.

Scorpius was swept up in his emotions. The feeling of being led made him feel protected instead of forced. He didn't have to think as he danced, only feel. He moved softly, quietly, but he pulled hard against James on the turns and twirls. It felt less like a dance and more like a battle, but even as he fought, Scorpius knew that James would win. He'd never danced with a man before, never been held in a man's arms, never been led by a man's hands. The struggle for power between them was intoxicating. When the song came to end, Scorpius felt as though he had been swept away by a tidal wave, as though he had just run a mile. He panted for breath; his whole body was flushed.

It was perfect.

James pulled away and then bowed to Scorpius. "I think I should go now. Your father doesn't look happy."

He was right. His father was glaring at them, his eyes very obviously saying, "Stay away from Scorpius." James grasped Scorpius's hand and squeezing it lightly. Scorpius held onto it hard.

"Please don't go." Scorpius cringed as he heard himself beg. His emotions were in a tangle, and he didn't know what to think. Mere minutes before James Potter had been a nuisance, one of the teacher's pets that annoyed the heck out of Scorpius even though he didn't know anything about him. Now the look in his eyes was making Scorpius gasp for breath and the feel of his hand in Scorpius's made his heart stutter.

James shook his head and tried to pull his hand away. "I'm sorry, but I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Then, let's go somewhere private where we can be alone." James looked as if he was going to say no, so Scorpius prodded, "Just say yes."

"Goodbye, Scorpius." James gave him one last smile and left. Scorpius followed him to the staircase.

"Just say yes," he pleaded.

James shook his head, but didn't turn around. "No." Scorpius didn't know why it hurt that James wouldn't look at him.

Scorpius slumped against the wall, tears prickling his eyes. "Fine then. Just go!" he shouted.

Finally, James looked back. "Two nights from now. Sneak out to your east garden, by the dragonflower bushes. I'll meet you there at midnight." He didn't wait for an answer, simply turning and walking away.

James brushed past Scorpius's father as he approached, and the two glared at each other for a moment before James continued. Scorpius's father was still sneering when he reached Scorpius's place on the stairs.

"I don't want to see you with that boy again," he murmured, obviously not wanting to be overheard.

Scorpius closed his eyes. He hadn't imagined coming out to his father like this, but it couldn't be helped now. "I'm sorry, Father, but I like men. I can't help it."

He waited for a moment, certain his father would be upset, and was startled when he snorted at Scorpius.

"I don't care about that. As long as you find a way to have a Malfoy heir, I don't care what gender you like best. I just don't want you with that boy." The father's eyes caught his son's. "I don't want you getting hurt."

Scorpius blinked once, twice, and swallowed hard. His father didn't care about him being gay? Well, that was news. Still though, what was wrong with James?

"James wouldn't hurt me," Scorpius said softly. He looked out over the dancing crowd, smiling as his eyes landed on James. He was dancing with his cousin Rose, and while she was nearer his height than most, it was obvious that the large height difference was making it hard for them to dance together.

Scorpius turned his gaze back to his father and saw his eyes harden.

"That Potter-Weasley mutt will hurt you. Nothing good comes out of that family. I don't want to see you hurt." He repeated his sentiments once more, reaching out to pull Scorpius into a hug. "I don't want that for you."

Scorpius hugged him back. His father was really worried for some reason—he rarely touched Scorpius, let alone hugged him. Still, he knew, somehow, that James wouldn't hurt him. He couldn't promise his father that he would stay away from James, but he did say softly, "I won't let him hurt me."

His father took that as a promise and pulled away from the hug looking a bit flustered. "Let's get back to our guests," he said, smoothing out his robe. His cheeks were pink and Scorpius wanted to laugh at him.

"Of course, Father," he said instead. He followed his father back to the ballroom and spent the rest of the evening talking to the many girls waiting for him. He hardly saw any of them though.

His gaze followed James Potter.

* * *

_So, I sneak out to the garden to see you. We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew. So close your eyes; escape this town for a little while. 'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter, and my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet," but you were everything to me; I was begging you, 'Please, don't go.'"_

And I said, "Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run. You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess. It's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"

Romeo save me - they're trying to tell me how to feel; this love is difficult, but it's real. Don't be afraid; we'll make it out of this mess. It's a love story - baby just say "Yes."

* * *

Two nights later, Scorpius snuck out to the garden, just as James had told him to. He'd left on the clothes he'd worn to dinner, ostensibly because he simply hadn't had time to change into more comfortable robes. In reality, Scorpius had left the formal robes on in an attempt to interest James. It was silly, but Slytherin, so he shrugged off the embarrassment he felt at such an obvious attempt.

It was worth it too. Scorpius found James waiting for him in the garden already, even though it was only eleven-thirty. He greeted Scorpius by saying, "You look amazing."

Scorpius laughed, grateful for the moonless night that hid his blush, and said, "You're early."

James nodded, his bobbing head hardly visible in the dark. "I couldn't stay away." He stepped closer to Scorpius and slowly pulled him closer. "I can't get you out of my mind."

Scorpius's heart was beating fast in his chest as James wrapped his arms around him. He swallowed hard and leaned his head on James's shoulder, grateful for the strength he felt in James's body. "My father says I'm not to see you," said Scorpius.

James ran a hand through Scorpius's hair, playing with the long strands. After a few silent moments, he spoke. "Why?"

"Your father, your mother. He hates them both with a passion. If you were not a Potter, I'm certain that he would be fine with us, but his grudge against the Weasley family and your father is too deep." Scorpius worried his lip for a moment. "I wish you were not a Potter, or that I were not a Malfoy."

James tugged lightly on Scorpius's hair, tilting his head back. "But if you were not a Malfoy, you wouldn't be you, and I wouldn't care for you as I do." He leaned down and kissed Scorpius softly.

Things were moving fast, far faster than Scorpius knew how to handle, but he didn't want to stop. Wrapped up in James's protective arms, Scorpius felt like he could battle the whole world, even his father. He deepened the kiss, opening his mouth and drawing James's tongue into it. James moaned and pulled away for a moment, gasping for breath.

"Have you... have you done anything before?" James asked Scorpius gently. His eyes caught Scorpius's in the darkness and Scorpius thought that he would drown in the dark hazel depths of them.

"No." He was unashamed of his inexperience. There were few gay wizards, and most of them were not open. He'd never come across another student at school—except for, apparently, James.

James sighed and leaned his forehead against Scorpius's. "We'll slow down then."

"What if I don't want to?" Scorpius tried to kiss James again, but he stepped back, disengaging himself from Scorpius. Scorpius felt rejected.

"If we go much farther, I won't be able to stop, and neither of us is ready for anything like that." James motioned to a small pond with a concrete bench next to it. "Let's sit down and talk."

Scorpius shook his head. "Not in the open. If my father catches sight of you, he'll have you murdered."

James froze. "Would he really?" James asked, nervously.

"Um... Probably not?"

They laughed together, and then Scorpius led the way to a deep patch of tall flowers. He pushed his way through them, careful not to let them snap backwards and hit James.

"Where are we going?" asked James.

"My secret hiding place," said Scorpius as they entered a small clearing. It was just big enough for the two of them to lay down on the ground next to each other, and James's feet got tangled in the flowers when he stretched out his legs.

"When I was a boy, my parents used to fight a lot. My house elf Rifey showed me this clearing one day, and it's been my escape ever since. The flower bushes are so tall that you can't see people in here if they are sitting or laying down, not even from the highest windows of the Manor."

James took Scorpius's hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for showing me."

Scorpius held their hands closer to his face, observing how alike they were. They were the same length, but James had bigger palms and Scorpius, longer fingers. James's hand was scratched up. Suspicious, Scorpius asked, "How did you get into the garden?"

James tugged his hand away, hiding it in his pocket. "I walked in the gate."

"You would have been attacked by peacocks if you had done that."

"Um..."

Scorpius laughed so hard he shook. "You didn't try to fight them, did you?"

"Um..."

"Oh, Merlin! I'm so sorry! I should have warned you." Scorpius's laughter didn't stop though. "I can't believe you got through them though."

James started laughing then too. "Oh, don't worry, I didn't. They chased me out of the garden. I had to go around to the back and climb the wall."

Scorpius rolled onto his side and pushed himself up on one elbow. His shoulders were still shaking with suppressed laughter when he caught James's eye. Slowly, he leaned over until his lips were centimetres from James's. Neither of them was laughing any longer.

"I'm sorry you had to go through so much to get here," Scorpius said.

"I'm not," replied James. "It was worth it."

Just as their lips were about to meet, a house elf popped into their clearing.

"Master Malfoy, you must hurry to the house. Your father is coming!"

Scorpius sprang away from James. "Merlin's arse! We've got to go." He tugged James up from the ground and set off through the flowerbed. He ran away from the house, thinking they could sneak over the wall and out into the surrounding forest.

Evidentially his father knew him too well. They broke through the flowers and found themselves face to face with Scorpius's father.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy! Come here."

Scorpius grasped James's hand, hard. "No. I'm not leaving him."

Scorpius's father glared at James. "Stay away from Scorpius."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, James, don't listen to him. Please, don't go."

James brought Scorpius's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'll come back."

"No!" Scorpius snatched his hand away and stomped his foot like an angry child. "I'll go with you! Take me somewhere we can be alone."

James frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Scorpius, let Potter leave." Scorpius's father hadn't stopped glaring. "He's already hurting you. Can't you see that it will only get worse?"

Scorpius looked back and forth between the two men. They both loved him, he knew, and he loved them. It was no contest though. "James. Father's trying to tell me how to feel, but I'll never feel like that. Our—our love is difficult, but it's real. We can make it through this mess. Please, just take me with you."

"Accio broomstick!" James's Thunderbolt XLT flew over the wall and smacked into his hand. He walked over to Scorpius and leaned over. "I'll be back. I promise. Take care of yourself," he whispered. Then he mounted his broom and flew off without a backwards glance at Scorpius.

Scorpius watched him go. "Why didn't you just say yes?"

* * *

_I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around. My faith in you was fading when I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said, "Romeo save me - I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think-" He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said, "Marry me, Juliet - you'll never have to be alone. I love you and that's all I really know. I talked to your dad - go pick out a white dress; it's a love story - baby just say 'Yes.'"_

* * *

"Two months. Two damn months. Two bloody buggering months. Two Merlin-damned bloody mother-buggering months!" Scorpius slammed his glass on the table, smiling grimly when it shattered.

Albus Severus Potter cast a quick Reparo and then Vanished the puddle of liquid. "I think you need to stop drinking," Albus said. The boy had randomly forced Scorpius to sit down with him and Lily. Then he mentioned that James, the bastard, wanted to talk to Scorpius. So, he wouldn't let Scorpius leave.

Scorpius glared at him. "That was my first drink. It was a butterbeer."

Lily Potter smirked at him. "You're a lightweight then."

"I'm not fucking drunk!" Scorpius reached out for his glass again, intending to break it again, but Albus held it out of reach.

"Listen, mate. I don't think you're sober. You're using Muggle curse words. _American_ Muggle curse words."

Scorpius just narrowed his eyes at the siblings sitting across from him in The Three Broomsticks. "I. Am. Not. Drunk. I am _angry_! I keep waiting for him, but he never comes. Your fucking brother seduced me, forgot about me for two months, and now he wanted to meet me? I don't bloody think so!"

Albus's eyes went round. "You guys had sex?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! No!" Scorpius cut him off before he had a chance to say anything me. "He seduced my heart, you bloody nitwit."

Lily squealed. "Oh, my, gosh! That is so incredibly romantic!"

Scorpius's gaze was beginning to look dangerous. "Romantic, my arse! He _abandoned_ me."

Lily waved her hands about wildly in the air. "No, no! You don't understand. See he had to—"

"Shut up his younger sister before she gave away his secrets?" James seemed to appear at Scorpius's side from thin air. His wand was out and pointed at Lily, who was still talking but not making any sounds.

When she realized he had silenced her, she crossed her arms and flopped back into her chair.

"Are we done here?" asked Albus. James nodded and released the spell on Lily. "Let's go then."

Scorpius didn't say anything when James sat down in the chair next to him. In fact, he refused to look at the man, gazing instead at the other kids in the pub. It was the first Hogsmeade visit of the year and everyone seemed to have decided to go there first.

"Scorpius."

He spun around to snarl at James, "Don't call me that!" Scorpius looked down his nose at James. "Only my _friends_ are allowed to use my name."

James looked hurt and Scorpius felt bad... but only for a moment. He'd been hurting for months.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. I had to convince your father to give me something." James smiled. "I didn't get him to agree until right after Hogwarts had started. Bastard." His tone was amused even though the word was harsh. "I had to wait until this weekend to see you, and you were turning away my owls, so I had to convince Al and Lily to drag you here."

Scorpius snorted. "I turned away your owls because you waited a _month_ to contact me the first time." He frowned and tacked on, "arsehole."

James just laughed. "I love you too."

Scorpius froze. "I... wait, what?"

"I love you, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." It would have been a touching sentence, except James broke into giggles as he said Scorpius's middle name.

Scorpius stuck out his tongue at James, but it only make James laugh louder, so he smacked him on the arm. "I will never forgive my father for saying that in front of you. Or you, for repeating it!"

James smirked. "Are you sure?"

Scorpius nodded imperiously.

"What if I told you he had given permission for me to ask you to marry me?"

Scorpius stared at him. "One, gay marriage is still illegal. Two, my father would never allow that. Three, we've only really known each other for two months. Four, I'm only seventeen! There's no way in hell."

"I didn't mean _now_." James looked exasperated. "And I didn't really mean marriage. I meant more like us dating for the rest of your time at Hogwarts, then you moving into my flat, and then, years and years from now, us having a civil partnership thingy and doing a big ceremony with all of our friends and family. Um... that is, if you wanted?"

"And my father gave permission for that?"

James fiddled with a glass Albus had left on the table. "Well... not all of that... I just asked him if I could ask you for a partnership someday. He agreed."

Scorpius quirked an eyebrow. "Right. And what did you have to promise him?"

"Ninety percent of my trust fund for your dowry..."

"Merlin... I don't know what to think." Scorpius was completely flabbergasted. If it was one thing Malfoy's understood, it was money. The Potters were quite rich, and James's trust fund had to be huge. "I... We hardly know each other!"

James leaned in closer. "I want to get to know you though. I knew your father wouldn't let me get close to you unless I did something drastic. So... I did something drastic."

"But why?" Scorpius was frustrated. "Why me? You could—" his voice fell "—you could have anyone..."

"I don't want anyone. I want you." James kept passing his glass from hand to hand, nervously playing with it.

"But _why_?" Scorpius gestured at himself. "Our father's hate each other. We never spoke in six years of schooling. You're a Gryffindor; I'm a Slytherin. You're strong and capable and an Auror trainee and—" He cut himself off. It was one thing to consider James amazing in his head. It was another thing to do it in public. "Just. Why me?"

"Because you're strong and capable and intelligent." James cocked his head to the side. "We were both young when I first saw you, but I knew, even then, that I wanted to get to know you. I cocked up my chances by playing a trick on you when you were a first year. I've regretted that ever since then. I just wanted to meet you and be your friend."

Scorpius pulled the glass from James's grasp and replaced it with his hand. James squeezed it. "So," said Scorpius, "feeding a first-year a Canary Cream is your idea of pulling pigtails?" Scorpius had been traumatised by the prank when he was younger. He'd thought James was the coolest of cool, and he'd hated being the victim of one of his pranks. Now he was finding out that what he thought was a rejection was really a plea for attention.

James shrugged. "I guess."

Scorpius felt his heart beginning to thud. He'd been so distraught when James hadn't written back. When the owls had started coming a month after their meetings in the garden, he had been too upset to read them. Now he was wishing he had. Six years lost because of a prank. He didn't want to lose any more time.

"You're an idiot."

James looked at him with hurt in his eyes. His trembling lip made him look like a sad puppy. Scorpius leaned in and kissed the puppy dog look away.

"But you're my idiot."

James perked up. "Does this mean you'll marry me?"

"No."

James's lower lip began to jut out again.

"I will date you though. We'll see about the rest," said Scorpius. He reached out and ran a finger over the pouting lower lip. For such a strong and powerful man, James was pathetically needy. Scorpius loved it.

"After all," he continued, "we were both young when I first saw you, too. We've a lot of wasted time to make up for."

* * *

_We were both young when I first saw you..._


End file.
